You Need This. You Might Not Know It, But You Need This Headlamp
"I decided I needed a headlight after struggling to change over from summer to winter wheels/tires. Even though my garage is well lit, the wheels spokes hid the studs on each wheel hub making it tedious to get the wheel onto the hub. I monkeyed around with a flashlight on a chair, but it as no use. I could only see the holes in the wheels and the wheel studs if I held the flashlight next to my head. My criteria included AA power as I have several sets of Enloops and a MAHA 8 cell AAA to D charger. The Nitecore HA40 looked like it was a good fit and it was on sale. I chose the free shipping and the the headlamp arrived in perfect condition. One slight problem: I won't be swapping wheels until next spring. I installed 4 Enloops and turned it on. The headlamp cycles through five power levels and tops out a what appears to be an honest 1,000 lumens when compared to other flashlights I own. One tap turns on the light and each successive tap goes to the next power level. A long tap turns off the light and it remembers the last power level when you turn it back on. The headlamp also has slow strobe and SOS modes accessed by double taps on the on/off switch. The five different power levels are quite distinct. The lowest setting is really low so when you turn off the light, take a look and make sure it's off. I've found all kinds of uses for the light in the two weeks I've had it. Replacing a garbage disposal, rooting around the garage looking through storage boxes, taking out the garbage at night, detailing the interior of my car. . . I took my stereo amplifier and other components apart to clean all the potentiometers inside. The cables and components on the circuit boards made getting a fixed light on the pots impossible. All these tasks are so much easier when you have light on the subject from your point of view and two free hands. Although I did not formally time it, the light does seem to last the advertised one our on the 1,000 lumen setting. It will let you know you're approaching end of battery life by automatically ramping down to the next lowest power setting. When the HA40 lowers the power level on its own, it's time to swap out the batteries. You have to assemble the headlamp buy feeding the nylon headband through the light module and battery holder. It isn't hard, just a little tedious as it is a nice snug fit. Make things easier by stretching the head band to make it narrower as you attach the two components. The HA40 appears to be made of quality materials. The lamp housing is metal and the switch is covered with rubber and feels very solid. The mount rotates to any position and it stays where you put it. I see no negatives in the HA40 with the possible exception of the battery case cover. Its molded rubber that's stretched over the plastic case. My opinion might be wrong as it very well might more water resistant that a plastic door. You'll find a lot of uses for this headlamp and more because it uses inexpensive rechargable AAs."
